by Lown, Anne
Tears welled in Tracy’s eyes. “I have no idea what was going on with Emma. All I know is she ruined my marriage and stole my husband. That’s why I had an affair with Martin. I needed to feel loved again after all Dave’s running off with anything in a skirt.”
Jenny felt a pang of compassion for Tracy when the tears rolled down her face. She must’ve been humiliated by the way Dave carried on, knowing people thought she couldn’t be much of a wife in the bedroom department if he had to go dogging as well to find his kicks.
“Why did Dave kill Emma if he was going to marry her?” Sarah didn’t have a hard time asking the difficult questions, but she seemed like she was barely with them as her eyelids fluttered and she held on to the side of her head.
“Are you okay?” Jenny was growing concerned; Sarah’s face was turning a deeper shade of grey the longer they talked.
“I’m getting a migraine,” Sarah replied, “happens all the time.”
“Like I said,” Tracy continued, “Dave could be a jealous man. Very much do as I say, not as I do. He wouldn’t have been happy if Emma had found she, too, didn’t love him like she thought she did when Jason turned up. It can reignite old feelings you didn’t know were still there. That’s what it did for me. She seemed angry with you, Jenny. How you and Jason were becoming an item. It unhinged her, hence the outburst in the pub. She really scared me, so I kept out of the way.”
“I’m going to be sick.” Sarah was sweating even more than earlier, perspiration dampening her hair.
Jenny ran to the door and called Dawn until she came scurrying. The housekeeper carried a bucket, tablets, and a towel. She was prepared like it was the frequent event Sarah had said it was.
“We’ll leave you to rest,” Jenny said.
As Dawn tended to Sarah, Jenny and Tracy left the room. Jenny followed the woman along the hallway and out into the evening air.
“How about I drop you off?” Jenny waited for an answer.
“No, I prefer to walk.”
Tracy strolled away from her, her feet sounding her progress on the small round stones. The driveway was not easy to trample over, and it would take a few minutes to get to the gate. Jenny got in her car and changed direction. She passed Tracy before the gates, watching her in the rear-view mirror.
Finally, Jenny arrived outside her house and parked in the same spot she’d managed to earlier. She turned off the engine and removed the ignition key. A wave of relief washed over her. At least she’d get some peace for the rest of the evening. All the drama was doing her head in, and she needed time to think. She’d found out so much conflicting information about the people involved, and each bit contradicted another. Jenny felt her own headache emerging. She’d be reaching for the tablets once inside the house. A clear head was what was needed if she was going to protect herself. The killer was coming for her, and she had no intention of letting them win. A plan needed to be made, and quick. It was the one thing she was sure of, but how she’d be threatened she had no idea.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Jenny sat behind the steering wheel and stared at the house. It seemed cold and ominous from the car. It was funny to think it had all started because she’d moved here. There were a few other places she could’ve chosen in other villages, but Chapel End looked a sleepy kind of place, perfect for relaxing and getting away from the drama of everyday life. Since she’d arrived, she hadn’t got around to unpacking her things. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing because it would make moving out all the easier to do. Jenny felt like running for her life, and who could blame her.
She got out of the car and walked to the front door. Her gaze flitted in every direction. Nothing was out of place. The lock turned easily enough, and she flicked on the light. Sinister thoughts crept into her mind, and Jenny shuddered. It was something she was always doing now, her nerves grating inside her. She stood in the hallway and strained to listen, fear gripping so tight she had to force herself to fight it.
There’s nothing here.
In a bid to prove it to herself, she willed her legs to move. Jenny pawed her way around the living room doorframe and along the wall using her fingers. She caressed the switch plate and turned on the light. The room seemed desolate, the packing boxes piled in the corner to her left and the writing on the wall over the sofa. There was nothing welcoming in here. She did the same in each room, opening cupboards and wardrobe doors to convince herself she’d missed nothing. By the time she’d finished, the house was ablaze, a beacon in the evening darkness, sending out light in every direction.
To think she’d come here to find her independence and herself. She’d always needed a man in her life, skipping from one dysfunctional relationship to another, disappointed when they weren’t the men she needed them to be. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it wasn’t the men at fault, but her. She needed to be the person she wanted them to be. She couldn’t fix them with their myriad of problems, but she could fix herself.
Jenny returned to the living room. As she glanced again at its lack of warmth, defiance swept over her. How dare someone try to chase her from the village. None of what was going on was anything to do with her. She hadn’t been there when Annalise had died. She’d met Jason by accident because he’d been out walking when Scott was being a baby and causing a scene. If that hadn’t happened, then she’d be none the wiser about any of it. Except for Carmie in the charity shop, she supposed, but none of it was her fault either.
But now it was her business. Someone had decided she needed to go. Whether that was just from the house, the village, or from life itself, they seemed determined to have their way. Jenny clenched her jaw, her hands now balled into fists. All she could think of was hurting someone, giving back the pain they’d caused others.
How dare they threaten me. How dare they frighten me. I’m not going to allow it.
Reinvigorated by her surge of anger, Jenny decided to stay. She liked Chapel End and she liked the house. She liked her new duty on deliveries, too, no more night shift and living out of step with the rest of the world. She had the independence she’d craved, and she didn’t have to rely on anyone. The choice was hers if she wanted and she’d be damned if she’d be made to feel bad about it.
Jenny reached for her mobile phone. She’d made up her mind she wasn’t going to feel afraid anymore. She dialled a number and waited for the other end to pick up.
“Hi, it’s me. I know things have been strained between us, but would you come over, I need to talk.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
A noise sounded at her back door. She couldn’t tell if there was a gentle knock or something had brushed against it. She eased herself from the sofa and tiptoed into the kitchen. With her fingers, she felt for the cool metal handle of the biggest knife in the knife block and slid it free. Armed, but shaking as her courage fled, she peeked around the corner at the outside door. A figure leaned against the glass, peering in. Jenny inched across the tiled floor and unlocked the door, ready to defend herself if need be.
“You going to stab me with that?” Jason grinned, his charm in full swing again.
“Make a sudden move and I will,” she said.
They both giggled at the tension of the moment, and Jenny sighed in relief. Opening the door wider to let him in, she placed the knife on the kitchen worktop and then relocked the door.
“You gave me a shock. Why didn’t you use the front door?”
Jason winked. “I didn’t want anyone to see me arrive. Might get the curtain twitchers gossiping.” His smile lit up his face, crinkling the skin around his eyes and giving him back his bad-boy quality.
Jenny led him into the living room. The writing on the wall bristled her nerves, but she ignored it. They sat beneath it on the sofa and got down to business.
“I need your help.”
“Okay,” he said. “How?”
“I can’t live with this hanging over my head. I won’t live like this, it’s madness, so I’m going to do something about it.”
Jenny was rambling. Her confidence while she’d been thinking up the plan had been strong, but now she was telling her idea, she felt it abandoning her.
“All right.” Jason’s brows furrowed. “How can I help you?”
“I want to flush out the killer.”
“Pardon?” His eyes widened. “You want to what?”
“I can’t sit here waiting for them to come for me. I’m scared and I’ve had enough. I want it over with.”
Jenny watched Jason pondering her words. She knew it sounded insane, but so, too, was waiting for a killer to pounce and dispatch her. She couldn’t take it, there had to be something she could do.
“How do you propose to do it?”
“I was thinking about how it all started. Other than you coming back to the village, the first thing to turn up was a diary, remember?”
Jason nodded. His face took on a pained expression, no doubt because of his thoughts of Annalise.
Jenny carried on. “After that, a voodoo doll with Paul’s name on it, and that night he died.”
“Okay.”
“Then Emma got one.” Something struck Jenny, a thought she hadn’t had before. It was about the comment DS George had made. “Do you remember George saying the dolls turned up after the killings, not before? I thought he was wrong, as did Carmie, but what if he was right? Emma’s doll turned up after she’d died. It was because of the doll we went searching for her.”
“So what are you saying?” Jason shifted in his seat.
“I’m saying the doll was an afterthought. To make the killings seem linked together. What if they were done for different reasons?”
Jason scratched his head, messing up the right side of his hair. He still looked confused, and it seemed like he was losing interest.
“Hear me out,” she said. “What if my voodoo doll is just to scare me off? What if the killer doesn’t intend to go after me because then that would alert the police to the fact they have the wrong man?”
“Don’t you believe Dave did it?”
“Why would he kill someone he wanted to marry? And if he did kill Paul, why didn’t he do it when they fought? It doesn’t seem right that he’d have gone back later to do it when Paul was already packing his stuff to leave. I just don’t see it.”
“So, who do you think it is? The same person who killed Annalise? As far as everyone’s concerned, that’s me, and I know I didn’t do it.”
“Then will you help me? Let’s flush them out and prove to everyone how innocent you are.”
“But what if it really is me?”
“Then that’s a risk I’ll just have to take.”
JENNY ENJOYED IT WHEN Jason opened the heavy pub door for her and allowed her to enter before him.
“Ladies first.” He winked.
She couldn’t help the giggle escaping her lips. Even though they were there for other reasons than an evening of drinking and getting to know each other, it still felt like a date. Like their first date, in fact.
Tonight, the pub was busy. A football match played on the TV with an early evening kickoff. People came in to enjoy the atmosphere, and whether it be jubilant or downhearted, that depended on the final score. She hadn’t known about the event, but they’d arrived at the right time. The customers were occupied with the action on the field.
Jason led her to the bar and the spot Martin claimed for himself. He was joined tonight by his father, who Jenny hadn’t seen since her first visit to the pub, and another man. It was Carmie’s husband, Ron. The two older men were having an animated conversation and hadn’t noticed them arrive. Martin, though, smiled. There was an eagerness about him.
“You’ll never guess who’s back from the nick?” His eyes twinkled. The information appeared to make his evening, and his amusement couldn’t be clearer.
“Not Dave?” Jason’s mouth dropped open. “How did he get out so quick?”
“Yep, one and the same. They’re still doing their enquiries, but that doesn’t let him off the hook yet.”
“Maybe they aren’t sure it’s him. No wonder there’re so many people in here tonight.”
Sarah might’ve called Dave a pleasant man, but it didn’t make Jenny feel any better knowing he was no longer locked up. But then, did it really matter? What they were about to do needed all the players present if the killer was to be identified. It could still be him, or Jason, or Martin. It could even be someone they hadn’t thought of yet. Heck, it could even be Carmie. She was the one who kept getting the parcels with the diary and voodoo dolls. She was the one who’d told Jenny that Paul had been killed. She’d been the one with her when they’d gone in search of Emma and she had the keys to her house in her pocket. That was the thing—nobody could be ruled out, not even Ben who was the last known person to see Emma alive.
Talking of Ben, he was standing down the other end of the bar, back where she had first seen him. He, too, must’ve come out for the football. For people who lived alone, the pub was a great way to have some company after work.
Jenny surveyed the customers. Graham sat in the corner where he’d been the time before, drinking what looked like another blackcurrant juice. She waved to him when he noticed her. She left the boys to their small talk and walked over for a chat.
“Hi, Graham, how are you?”
Jenny waited while Graham took his time to answer.
“Not bad. You found the killer yet?” Graham was nothing if not an astute man. He got straight to the point and seemed to feel no shame in doing so.
“That’s what I was going to speak to you about. Jason and I are going to let something slip, something important while we’re here, and it’d help if you’d watch what happens. You’re so good at working people out. Can you let me know if someone reacts strange to it?”
He was already nodding. “If you want me to.”
Jenny squeezed his hand. She could see why Sarah liked him. Their conversation turned to light, jovial things while she waited for Jason to beckon her back to the bar. Graham made her laugh and had quite some stories to tell.
Back at Jason’s side, she fell in with what they were talking about. The conversation drifted to what they were there for. Everyone who was supposed to be there was in the room. Dave appeared behind the bar while Jenny chatted to Graham. He looked subdued and was ignoring Tracy. In contrast, Tracy had perked up and chatted with the customers. It struck Jenny as odd, but then maybe she was glad her husband was home.
“You should see the crap we pulled out of some of the cupboards. Jenny is going to have to do a few trips to the dump before she can put her things away. I’m gonna make sure she returns the favour and helps me with my place once we’ve finished.” Jason was in full swing. He’d set up the conversation and had a few ears riveted.
“I will not.” Jenny laughed as she said it, pretending to know exactly what he was on about.
“No way,” Jason countered, “we had an agreement.” He, too, laughed in a light-hearted fashion.
They made a convincing couple as good friends at the very least. No one would’ve suspected the roller coaster of emotions between them in the last couple of weeks, so it was a good thing Jenny hadn’t told anyone about his attempt to strangle her.
“You’ll never guess what we found hidden under all that crap?” Jason seemed comfortable playing his part in the scam. It was the only way to get the reaction they needed, and he was prepared to go through with it.
The men around the bar drew in closer. The two older guys finished their conversation and waited for him to speak. All attention was on Jason. He took a gulp from his pint then licked his lips.
Martin tilted his head to the side. “No, what’s that?”
“The diaries,” Jason said. “We found Annalise’s diaries.”
Jenny turned her head to see if Graham was watching, and her eyes bulged when she saw every person in the pub had heard Jason’s loud voice. It must’ve echoed around the room, the TV momentarily put on mute while adverts played in the break.<
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“No way.” Martin stiffened, the muscles in his neck giving way to protruding veins. “I thought they’d searched that house top to bottom when she died.”
“They couldn’t have done a good job of it. She had a secret cupboard, used a board to make a fake wall. Quite ingenious was our Annalise.”
“Why’d she do that?” It was Ron, Carmie’s husband.
“Liked her privacy, didn’t want anyone interfering with her stuff, especially not her writing.”
“What’re you going to do with them?” Dave wandered over from where he’d been consoling Ben. It was the first time they’d seen each other since Emma had died.
“Give them to the police in the morning. Won’t they be surprised that we found what they couldn’t.”
“You mean to say they don’t know yet?” Martin looked incredulous. “You’ve not told them already?”
“Nope. We’re going to drop by, stroll right in, and dump them on the desk in front of them. It’s going to be worth it to see their reaction.” Jason snorted like he felt victorious over the police already.
Jenny watched him out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t noticed she’d been wringing her hands. He’d played his part better than she’d hoped.
She placed a hand on his forearm and smiled up at him. “It’ll be great to finally prove your innocence.”
“It sure will,” Jason said, “and who the killer really was.”
And then it was done. The last nail in the coffin, and now Jenny truly was a target.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The walk back to her house was surreal. Jenny jumped at the slightest noise. Flinching and looking around her, she couldn’t help herself from feeling watched. If she hadn’t been hanging on to Jason’s arm, digging her fingers into his biceps like claws on prey, she’d never have made it home. Every step was like walking to the gallows, and the nearer she got, the more she could feel her life ticking away.